Cape Town, South Africa (AP) — Germany apologized on Thursday Use the leopard emoji in a jive Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tweeted on Twitter, which ultimately angered some Africans.
Germany’s foreign ministry teased a top Russian diplomat during a visit to Africa, tweeting that he wasn’t looking for leopards but trying to justify Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The tweet and the leopard emoji used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its official account worked well German decision send the advanced part of it leopard 2 tank To Ukraine to help his own forces repel Russian forces.
But African Union officials were upset that she said the African continent was being portrayed as only for wild animals. tweeted Africa, its people, and its wildlife, “was it just a joke to you?”
“Foreign policy is no joke and should not be used to score geopolitical points by describing entire continents in colonial tropes,” Karondo wrote in a follow-up tweet.
Germany’s foreign ministry apologized, saying the tweet was not meant to offend but “to point out the lies Russia uses to justify its imperialist war of aggression against Ukraine”.
During trips to South Africa, Eswatini, Angola and Eritrea this week, Lavrov reiterated his allegations that the United States and its Western allies are using Ukraine as an instrument of a “hybrid war” against Russia.
Many African countries still have historical ties with Moscow. South Africa is one of several countries to abstain from voting at the United Nations last year condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Eritrea voted against the resolution, along with Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Syria.